Speed-indicator.



w.,- w. DUDLEY, L A. GBBENLBAP a w; n. DUDLBY.

-smn mmcATon. AAPPLIOTIOI H LBD SEPT. 1. 1906..

4917,26?. f Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

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WITNESSES -|NvENTv0R5.

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@dei .JM 12mm@ Wm J l/ITTQRNEM w.\w. DUDLEY, L.4 A. GREENLEAP GEW. R. 'DUDLEY.

SPEED INDIGATOB. APPLIoA'rIoN FILED sBPT.1,1906.

Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

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WITNESSES ATTORNEY.

Y SPEED INDIGATQR.' APrILI'oATIpN rILED sEPT.1,V1'9oe.

Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

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WILLIAM W. DUDLEY, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, AND LOUIS -A. GREENLEAF AND WALLACE R. DUDLEY, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO STAR SPEEDOMETER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA. Y

sPEED-INmc'ron.

Patented April 6, luu.

Appucauan med september 1, 190s. serial No. 332,905.

To all 'whom it may concern: I

Be 1t lm own that we, WILLIAM W. DUD- LEY, residing at Lancaster, 1n the county of Lancaster, State of Pennsylvania, andl LoUls A. Gn-EENLEAF and WALLACE R. DUDLEY, both residing at Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey, all citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvev lowing is a speciiication.

The invention relates more particularly to that class of indicators which are employed uplon automobiles to show the speed at W ich the machine is traveling at any given moment, although it will be obvious that the invention is capable 4of a wider and more extended use if desired.

'The objects of the invention are to secure an accurate indication of the speed of the vehicle, articularly at the low speeds; to provide. or this purpose a spiral governor spring formed of tapered wire; to further increase accuracj.T of the indicator by having a governor run at double the speed of the flexible or power-translnitting shaft; to pro- 'vide a balance wheel mounted directly upon the governor shaft; to mount the different parte of the 'indicator by means of bridgework whereby they are exposed and the mechanism lightened; to fulcrurn upon an adjustable center, the lever which trans- I nits. motion from the overnor to the speed-indicating hand, so t at' the same can be accurately adjusted to different conditions; to provide lsuch lever with a cam for .engaging the speed indicating lever, whereby the different positions of the parts: will be com ensated for; to provide a stop for locking the speed-indicating lever in its position at any given moment; to thus preserve the reading of .the indicator, ifV desired; "toexpose the parts of the mechanism for inspection or adjustment; to facilitate access to the interior of the casing, and to obtain other advantages and results, as may be ,brought out in the following description.

, Referring to the accompanying drawings,

in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures; F igure 1 is a plan of our improved speed indicator arranged in connection with ments in Speed-Indicators, of which the fol;

Y y l an odometer in a suitable easing and mounted for use; F1g. 2 1s a slde vlew partly 1n section upon line x-x, Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a'view-I from beneath of the speed indicator parts, the cap? or cover of the casing being removed; Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line y-Jy, Fig. 3, looking in the direction indicated by the single arrow, and Fig. 5 is a similar-.sectional view looking in the opposite direction as indicated by the double arrow; Fig. 6 shows in plan and edge view, a certain bridge .for supporting upon an adjustable center, the lever for transmitting movement from` the governor to the speed indicator; Fig. 7 shows in plan and edge view, a bracket adapted to cooperate with the bridge shown in Fig. 6 Fig. 8 shows in longitudinal section and inner end view certain means vfor setting the trip-recordingA portion of our esA device; Fig. 9 shows in plan and side view a 'mitting motion from the governor to the speed indicator; Fig. 11 is a plan and side view of a certain bridge for su porting the screw-shaft; Fig. 12 shows in p an and side view, the bridge for mounting and supporting the shaft which carries the registering hand or pointer; Fig. 13 shows in longitudinal section, and inner end view, the referred means for operating the stop il ustrated in F'g. 9; Fig. 14 shows the governor spring and twoviews of its end portion before being coiled, enlarged to illustrate the tapering thereof, and Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional and plan view of a certain balance wheel Jfor the governor shaft.

In said drawings, 1 indicates any suitable part of an automobile, or other surface, to which a speed indicator is adapted to be secured, and 2 indicates the casing of our improved device which is shown as cylindrical with its axial center lline adapted to be brought into vertical position. An attaching having a bifurcated tongue 6 to lie between the arms? of a bifurcated stem 8 upon the casing 2, a pivotal pin or screw 3 being assed through all said parts. Preferably, a Justa.- bility of the device is secured by means of the screw .3, a washer 9 being-arranged thereon v otherwise'fsecured, as for instance by the 'toothed arm 10 shown in our prior application, filed June 5, 1906., Serial No. 320,333. The easingA 2 is divided transversely into upeli-and lower chambers 11, 12, respectively,

y: means -of a fixedpartition 13, against the base-plate 15 of' the odometer lles, -this casing, its partitions and chambers just described, and the odometer 16, being for all practical purposes the same as shown 1n our prior 'a plication above referred to. Above the 'disifs 17 of the odometer is ar ran ed a dial 18, apertured as at 19 to expose sai disks or portions of them, and also prolviding a scale26, for the pointerior hand 21 of the speed indicator.

. At one side of the casing is a connection 4 for the fiexible shaft (not shown) which to. transmit power from the moving vehicle, by means of a worm not shown here but illustrated in our said prior application, to a gear wheel 22. This gear wheel 22 is centrally located adjacent to the bottom of the' chamber 12 and is adapted by means of its shaft 23, to drive the odometer', while its toothed periphery engages the pinion 24 of a shaft 25 on which shaft the worm wheel 26, is arranged. This worm wheel 26 meshes with a Worm 27 stationed parallel to the floor of the chamber'in brackets 28, 29, and the worm 27 carries a gear 30, which meshes with a gear31 on the shaft 32 of the governor. This shaft 32 1s mounted in brackets or bearings 33,

upon the top of the chamber and is provided u l y the lengthwise direction of the same, so as to near its one end with a balance wheel 34. lSliding' upon the said shaft is a collar 35,

portion 1,4 of the shaft l45,.is in idle position of the indicating finger so directed as to form .f an acute angle with the line connecting the fulerum of said-shaft with the fulcrum ofthe lever, and in operation swings across such line to lie on the opposite side thereof, travel' ing along the cam surface of the lever as it does this. The worm wheel 26, is preferably supported by a bridge 50 whose flanged end -52 is adapted to be screwed to theplate 13,

and its opposite or free end lie parallel to said plate, providing a bearing for the shaft of said Worin wheel. The bridge 50 has a fixed pin 53 anda second pin 54 adjustable in a circle around the first by means of a slot 55 in the bridge. These pins 54 and 55,l are adapted to lie in the slot 56 of a bracket 57,

' which receives at its opposite bifurcated end,

the lever 42 and thus adjustably fulcrum lthe same. This adjustability enables uniform accuracy to be given the machines in spite of slight variations in the springs of different governors. The shaft 45 ,of the indicating finger is mounted in a bracket 58, and the indicating iinger is normally held at zero by means of a spring 59 extending from the ec-y centric portion 1'4 of said shaft 45, to an adjusting screw 66. y

In order to secure increased accuracy, we provide our governor with a spiral spring which is tapered or graduated in strength by having its wire flattened into elongated.

wedge-shape toward its extremity. The iiattened faces of said spring are exposed to i. be visible by decreased diameter of the wire which a spring 36, coiled upon said shaft, -tends to force away from the balance wheel; 5 pivoted arms 37 `extend from said collar tog Ward the balance wheel and are weighted at f their extremities, links connecting said arms near their weighted ends to the hub of the balance wheel. The spring 36 coiled upon the shaft 32 between the balance wheel 3.4 and collar 35, then serves to resist outward movement of the arms 37 and insure the usual governing action.

Adjacent to the collar 35, and preferably fast thereto, isy a spool 40 which confines'between its `end flanges the forked arm 39 of a lever 42 fulcrunied as at 43 to swing in horizontal plane. This lever is preferably fulcrumed upon an adjustable bracket 44, as

Will be hereinafter more particularly de-e scribed, and its opposite end engages the shaft 45 of the indicating finger to swing the saine upon its scale 20. Preferably this engagement is by a curved or cam surface 41 upon the side of the lever, said cam surface being so shaped as to compensate in action upon the said shaft for any-inequalities such as would be occasioned by the distance-between such engagement and the fulcrum of only when iooking edgewise thereof, as in the side view of the spring shown in Fig. 14. This increases the sensitivcness of the spring and secures a more accurate indication by the device at a low rate of speed. 1We furthermore secure lincreased accuracy by running` our governor at double the speed of the flexible shaft. i

In order to enable the reading of the speed indicator at any moment to be fixed for subsequent reference, we .hat e provided stop means for locking or' clamping the same.

when vdesired from the outside of the casing. These mea-ns comprise a forked head 63 adapted to engage the shaft 45 of the indicator hand, and having a rod 64 extending therefrom through a bearing block 65. The

.end of this rod 64 is provided with a ball 66 which slides between the fingers 67 of a slit tube 68, as is common and Well known. A finger piece 69 outside the casing is v connected by a stem 79 to the said rod 64 or its rounded end, and thus the forked head of the stop can be moved against or away from the shaft of the indicating hand, it being auto matieally secure in any position by its engagement with the'fingers of the slitted tube Vthe speed ordinances.

68. By means of this device the speed cf an automobile, as shown by the indicator, can be preserved for subsequent reference if desired, las for instance in arrests .for violating usually screwed .into placev as shown in the drawings, and to more conveniently eiect such connectiom/we make the shaft 71 ofthe trip-set Wheel 72, sectional, as shown in Fig.

8, the inner section terminating within the said cap.orcover, and the outer section 74 projecting therethrough and being held in. place by a screw 75.. To open the casing, therefore, the said outer section of the tripset shaft is removed' and the cap or cover 7() can then be freely turned ofi'.

Having thus described the invention, what '.we claim as new is:

1. In a s eed indicator, the combination -of a driven s aft, a governor on said shaft, an

indicator shaft having an eccentric portion,

an indicator arm on said indicator shaft, a

lever fulcrumed intermediate of said governor and indicator shaft eccentric and engaging lboth said parts, the engagement with l side, and means -for locking said indicator the, eccentric being by contact at its rear and locking means adapted tol irictionallyengage the main portion of the indicator sha-f Y.

'3., In a speed indicator," the combination with a shaft carrying an indicating 'fin er and Governor means for turning said sha t, of a,

lbngitudinally slidable rod having a head adapted to frictionally engage said shaft, and means for locking 'said lrod in position.

4. In a speed indicator, the combination of an indicator finger, a shaft carrying said finger, governor means adapted to oscillate the said shaft, a head having 'a V-sha ed fork ada ted to engage said shaft, anda on- Uitudina y slidable rod connected to said eadand provided at its other end witli'a handle.

'.with governor mechanism andV movement transmitting means, of a shaft having an ecside the indicator casinr having a finger iece, and means for holding said sliding rod releasably against sliding.

he cap or' cover 70, of the casing' 2 is' 5. In a speedindicato'r, the combination.

6. In a speed indicator, the combination with governor mechanism, an indi atoi shaft having an eccentric portion,

ci'uined intermediate oi' said governor inechanisni and indicator shaft and engaging at one end the former, and acrescent-shaped cani at the other end of said lcver engaging the `said 7. In a speed indicator, the combination of governing inea-ns, an indicator shafthaving 'an eccentric portion, a connecting lever pivoted between. said Governing means and indicating shaft an'dadapted to engage said parts at its opposite ends, theeccentric portion of the indicator' shaft always projecting toward said 4governing mechanism and the said lever having a concaved head .to engage said eccentric shaft portion laterally. i,

` 8. In a speed indicator, the combination with a casing, a removable transverse plate intermediate ofthe ends of said casing, a cap for the end of said casing, governor mechanism, indicating mechanism and connecting means for said mechanism mounted upon the said interior plate and bridges or brackets having at one end reet to ,be secured to said plate and an over-hanging opposite end to provide journal-bearings. l

9. In a speed indicator, the combination with governor mechanism, and an indicating hand and shaft, ofa connecting lever entend- 4 ing between said governin mechanism and shaft, and a bracket provi inv a fulcruni for said lever and being adjustablly mounted to Y eccentric portion of the indicator shait.

move longitudinally of itself and to swing laterally. l

10. The 'combination of a plate 13, a bridge mounted upon said plate and havin -an upper' end parallel thereto and provide with acurved slot. and a pin at the center of said curvature, a bracket having a slotted arm adapted to receive the said pin and overlapy the said curved slot, a screw extending th'rou h the two slots, a lever fulcruined in the said bracket, and governor means and indicating mechanism at 'the opposite ends o'f said lever. v l

11.v The combination with a governor shaft, and means for driving the same, of a balance-wheel fixed on said Shaft, a sliding collar '.:n the shaft, centrifugal Weights connected to said wheel and collar, and a spiral sprin .arranged on said shaft between the whee and the collar, said spring having its turns of wire diminishing in thickness or taperingin side' view of thel spring toward its end, and indicating means connected to 'said collar.

, 12. In a governing mechanism, the combination- Witha shaft, a balance wheel on said shaft, al sliding collar and centrifu al weights connected to said wheel and slicing collar, and a spiral spring'between the Weight and collar, the strands or. turns of which spring are flattened in the direction of the length of the springend so tapered to the end of the spring. i

13. Thecombinationwith the casing 2, of the two removable transverse plates dividing the interior of the easing into upper and lower ohzpnibers, a screw cover for the opposite end V"oltlie lower chamber, odometer' screwA cover and aI shank engaging the said shaft end ,u screw being passed through said outer section. longitudinally into the-shalt.

14. The ICombination with the casing 2, of

the interior transverse partitions forming ai l lower chamber, a screw cap or cover for' the end of said chamber whereby its interior in ay be exposed, bridges mounted upon said 1in-V if terior plate and projecting therelrorn to provide bearings, and a s eed mdlcator arranged in said chamber wit its parts mounted in said bridges, whereby said parts are accessible upon removing the seid screw cap or cover.

' WILLIAM W. DUDLEY. LOUIS A. GREENLEAF. VVALLAGE R. DUDLEY. Titnesses to illialn W. Dudley:

i LEWIS A. RAUCH,

J.. VVi-LLIS. v fitnesses to Louis A. Greenleaf and Inllace Ii. Dudley: s

EDMUND WHITE, EMMA L.WH1TE, 

